Microscopic devices are generally used to observe biological specimens such as cells. When the observation target is a cell, however, there arises a problem that the cell surface or a specific subcellular organelle forms a fluctuation (distortion) generating layer to cause wave aberration. In addition, when the observation target is a biological tissue or organ, the tissue surface or a specific tissue layer forms a main distortion generating layer. Accordingly, various studies have been conventionally conducted for microscopic devices for use in observation of biological specimens to correct wave aberration resulting from the observation target and obtain high-quality microscopic images (refer to Patent Documents 1 to 4).
For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for correcting aberration by which a rear pupil in an optical system is segmented and each segment is controlled by a wavefront modulation device. Patent Document 2 proposes a method for wavefront correction using an optical writing-type liquid crystal spatial phase modulation element. At a wavefront correction imaging device described in Patent Document 2, light from an object to be measured is passed through a disturbance medium in the space between the object and an observation surface and entered into a phase modulation surface of the liquid crystal spatial phase modulation element, and an interference pattern reflecting a phase distribution of the disturbance medium is obtained from reference light reflected on the phase modulation surface, and the interference pattern is applied to a writing surface of the liquid crystal spatial phase modulation element to form a phase modulation surface in such a manner as to cancel out the phase distribution of the disturbance medium, and then light to be measured having passed from the object through the disturbance medium and entered into the phase modulation surface and reflected on the same is observed.
Further, in the field of ophthalmic equipment, there are proposed adaptive optics systems that correct wavefront aberration detected by a wavefront sensor with the use of a wavefront corrector such as a deformable mirror or a spatial light modulator as described in Patent Documents 3 and 4.